NPR is premiering the new album Winter Wheat by singer-songwriter John K. Samson renowned for both his solo work and with his band The Weakerthans. Inspired by the search for community, his hometown of Winnipeg, and individual and collective struggles with addictions to drugs, screens, and fossil fuels, Winter Wheat, which arrives October 21, offers a sprawling, masterful and timely work by a writer at the peak of his powers.

Winter Wheat was produced in garages and homes through a Winnipeg winter by Samson’s partner and collaborator, Christine Fellows, and his Weakerthans co-founder and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Jason Tait. The arrangements feature Greg Smith of The Weakerthans on electric bass, Ashley Au on double and electric bass, Leanne Zacharias on cello, and Shotgun Jimmie on electric guitar.

Several of the songs are inspired by Neil Young’s enduring 1974 album On the Beach, and that record’s honest and unvarnished spirit is evident throughout. Like the crop itself, which is planted in the fall, sprouts, goes dormant through months of snow and rises in the spring, Winter Wheat is a determined, beautiful, resilient response to difficult and extraordinary times.

“Samson's words are the star of the show, and their ornate depictions make a quietly beautiful experience.” – All Music